Appendicitis

Your child might jabber away about everything from sports to school, but when it comes to a stomachache, sometimes all you get is: "My tummy hurts." Is it appendicitis, or simply not wanting to go to school? When it's time to play detective, keep these questions in mind:Where does it hurt?Most minor stomachaches occur close to the belly button, says pediatrician Azam Baig of Annapolis-based South River Pediatrics.Causes include "dietary indiscretions" such as overeating "a ton of ice cream," says Dr. Robert Ancona at Cross Keys Pediatrics in Baltimore.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tommy Lasorda, who stepped down as manager of the Dodgers on Monday, used to wage war with Davey Johnson when Johnson managed the New York Mets. Johnson recalled, very specifically, moments from the wild 1988 NL playoffs, when the Dodgers beat the Mets in seven games."He's been so great for baseball," Johnson said, "and he's been a great friend of mine. To me, he's a Hall of Famer, unquestionably. He's had such a great career."Johnson thought Lasorda, coming back from heart trouble, made the right decision in stepping down.

BOSTON -- Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson, on a pace to hit more than 50 homers, has shown early signs of appendicitis, and will miss three to six weeks if surgery is necessary.Anderson went to a local hospital for tests before last night's 13-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox, and afterward, Orioles manager Davey Johnson received confirmation of what club trainers had suspected when Anderson was pained all day."Not a very good day," Johnson said.Anderson said after last night's game that he probably was going to check into a hospital -- he wouldn't say which hospital -- for overnight observation.

April 2: Cal Ripken drove in three runs in 4-2 win vs. Royals on Opening Day.April 14: Bobby Bonilla said that if he is forced to be the Orioles' designated hitter permanently, he won't be back with the team next year.April 17: Defeated Red Sox, 6-5, in 12 innings. Led East by 4 1/2 games with 11-2 record.April 19: Rangers scored 16 runs in eighth inning, turning a 10-7 game into 26-7 blowout, second-biggest inning this century.April 23: Lost sixth straight; East lead dropped to one game.

BOSTON -- Brady Anderson prefers not to think about whether he's going to require immediate surgery for appendicitis. He wants to stay positive and recover his health enough to get back in the lineup and continue playing and hitting homers for the Orioles.Nonetheless, there is a strong possibility Anderson will require surgery that would sideline him for at least three weeks and maybe for as many as six or seven weeks.Anderson said two separate ultrasound tests have indicated he has appendicitis, and unless his discomfort and symptoms are reduced considerably, he'll probably need surgery immediately.

Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson, sidelined by what some doctors believe is appendicitis, will play tonight, manager Davey Johnson said last night.And, as Johnson announced this after last night's game, along with the fact that Roberto Alomar will play tonight, he sounded as if he couldn't believe it."I don't know what to expect [with Anderson]," said Johnson. "He's cleared to play [by doctors], and he wants to play. . . . They feel it isn't going to hurt him to play."I don't know if he's got appendicitis.

Brady Anderson said yesterday he was "fine, just fine" more than a week after feeling pains typical of appendicitis, but doctors who have treated hundreds of cases said his recent play and apparent good health probably mean he never really had the disorder.If he had, his appendix would have ruptured by now and presented him with no choice but to have an emergency operation."I don't think it's reasonable to think that he will ever have appendicitis out of this episode," said Dr. Claudius Klimt, director of emergency medicine at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

Q: This may sound crazy, but I dread our family vacation because I'm afraid my 10-year-old will get appendicitis. I did when I was about that age, and I got very sick. How would I know if my son had appendicitis? We are going to be camping in the mountains.A: As far as we know, appendicitis doesn't run in families and there is no reason why a 10-year-old should be a special risk, so we don't think you need to be more concerned than anyone else. The chance that your son will come down with appendicitis during one particular week of his life is very small.

Is Fallston General Bad for Kids?As a new resident of Bel Air, I have thus far enjoyed the people and the amenities of our new area. I am, however, concerned about the medical care the residents of Harford County receive at our local hospitals, specifically Fallston General Hospital.Recently, my 3-year-old son became ill. We thought he had the flu and treated it as such. After an entire Saturday of increasing symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, we called our local family practitioner.

Thanksgiving? Jearld Baylis could celebrate it every day.The highest-paid defensive player in the CFL grew up poor in Mississippi, and that's not the half of it.Baylis retired because of a wrist injury in 1990, thinking he would never play again.He became dangerously ill after his comeback in '91, developing gangrene when his doctors failed to diagnose appendicitis.And just this summer, he learned that he's missing an anterior cruciate ligament -- the Jeffrey Hammonds injury -- and will require knee surgery after the Grey Cup."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Orioles shortstop Cesar Izturis was scheduled to undergo an appendectomy Friday night at a local hospital, a procedure that will likely force him to the disabled list. Izturis reported to McAfee Coliseum on Friday complaining of stomach pains. He was then accompanied to the hospital by assistant athletic trainer Brian Ebel to have a CT scan taken, which determined that he had appendicitis. It's unknown how long Izturis will be out of the lineup. Signed to two-year deal in December, Izturis has started 45 games for the Orioles, hitting .260 with one home run and 13 RBIs, while stabilizing the team's defense with his play at shortstop.

Just how important is football to Francis Scott Key junior Brad Martz? Physicians at Gettysburg Hospital found out in early August when Martz came to them suffering from acute appendicitis, urgently in need of surgery. "The doctor said, `You might miss one or two games.' He said, `Well, then I don't want the operation,' " recalled Brad's father, Darin, holding back a chuckle. "The doctor looked at us and laughed. He said, `Well, Brad, you can either get operated on tonight, or you will be back to see me.' " Martz did have surgery to remove his appendix that night.

With a staff of starters who all pitched fairly well last season and the game's most successful pitching coach on hand, the Orioles spoke of the mound as an area of strength, or at least reliability, this spring. Seven weeks later, it seems more like a disaster zone. After Monday's 8-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners, the Orioles ranked first in the majors in walks allowed and second to last in ERA (5.62) and batting average against (.287.) "There is an overall lack of passion on this pitching staff," said frustrated pitching coach Leo Mazzone yesterday.

Not too long ago, some readers made suggestions as to which player ranked as the toughest Oriole. Someone mentioned Brady Anderson's appendicitis in 1996. He had it, then he didn't. Coincidentally, Anderson sent me a text message on Thursday. So I asked him about it. One doctor said his appendix had to be removed. "I couldn't believe it," Anderson said last week. "I had 32 home runs at the time." A different doctor said the condition might go away if he could deal with the pain. After a few days, he came back and hit 18 more home runs, and the Orioles made the playoffs.

Josh Smith vividly remembers the misery of it all. On the television screen in front of him, his teammates were playing Army in the snow and mud at Lincoln Financial Field and Navy's leading tackler was longing to be with them - out of the toasty room. "I was just laying in a hotel bed up there watching the game," said Smith, referring to Philadelphia. "It hurt a lot. I had the mentality of getting myself ready to play and, three days before, I got appendicitis. It was a crushing blow.

Your child might jabber away about everything from sports to school, but when it comes to a stomachache, sometimes all you get is: "My tummy hurts." Is it appendicitis, or simply not wanting to go to school? When it's time to play detective, keep these questions in mind:Where does it hurt?Most minor stomachaches occur close to the belly button, says pediatrician Azam Baig of Annapolis-based South River Pediatrics.Causes include "dietary indiscretions" such as overeating "a ton of ice cream," says Dr. Robert Ancona at Cross Keys Pediatrics in Baltimore.

April 2: Cal Ripken drove in three runs in 4-2 win vs. Royals on Opening Day.April 14: Bobby Bonilla said that if he is forced to be the Orioles' designated hitter permanently, he won't be back with the team next year.April 17: Defeated Red Sox, 6-5, in 12 innings. Led East by 4 1/2 games with 11-2 record.April 19: Rangers scored 16 runs in eighth inning, turning a 10-7 game into 26-7 blowout, second-biggest inning this century.April 23: Lost sixth straight; East lead dropped to one game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tommy Lasorda, who stepped down as manager of the Dodgers on Monday, used to wage war with Davey Johnson when Johnson managed the New York Mets. Johnson recalled, very specifically, moments from the wild 1988 NL playoffs, when the Dodgers beat the Mets in seven games."He's been so great for baseball," Johnson said, "and he's been a great friend of mine. To me, he's a Hall of Famer, unquestionably. He's had such a great career."Johnson thought Lasorda, coming back from heart trouble, made the right decision in stepping down.

Brady Anderson said yesterday he was "fine, just fine" more than a week after feeling pains typical of appendicitis, but doctors who have treated hundreds of cases said his recent play and apparent good health probably mean he never really had the disorder.If he had, his appendix would have ruptured by now and presented him with no choice but to have an emergency operation."I don't think it's reasonable to think that he will ever have appendicitis out of this episode," said Dr. Claudius Klimt, director of emergency medicine at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson, sidelined by what some doctors believe is appendicitis, will play tonight, manager Davey Johnson said last night.And, as Johnson announced this after last night's game, along with the fact that Roberto Alomar will play tonight, he sounded as if he couldn't believe it."I don't know what to expect [with Anderson]," said Johnson. "He's cleared to play [by doctors], and he wants to play. . . . They feel it isn't going to hurt him to play."I don't know if he's got appendicitis.